2 months and counting! I hope that we have seen our last Winter Storm Warning of the season. Last weekend a group of our triathletes rode the Long-Course route, plus a little extra. They returned with glowing reports of the views and the character of the ride. It’s going to be a good one! We also got out and took a tour of the Sprint course, just to get it back in our minds what it looks like without snow. We are a go an all fronts. Here’s some of the interesting developments this past month.

REI has really stepped up with its sponsorship. They will essentially be covering all the prizes for the raffle. And there will be a lot of them. We are still looking for a bike to raffle off as the grand prize. We’ll keep you posted. All racers will automatically get an entry into the raffle, and you can buy as many additional tickets as you’d like.

Our local businesses are also stepping up. Most recently, Baja Fresh agreed to provide the post-race food for the Sprint Race on Sunday! A taco bar for 200+! Way to go Baja Fresh!

The Friday Spaghetti Feed for Long-course racers, family and friends is a go. $10 will get you a feast, including desert. If you’ve already signed up for the race, I’ll be getting an email to you with more information.

Hammer Nutrition will be providing race nutrition for all races, including Hamer Gel and Endurolytes. Thanks Hammer!

Perfect Timing is going to be handling the chip timing, including splits!

More is in the works, so stay tuned.

I also encourage everyone to help support Montana Conservation Corps, our chosen charity for these races. They’ve already been hard at work sandbagging and helping to protect homes and businesses from the record flood waters that we are experiencing and are expected to see throughout June. You can make a donation as you register, or if you’ve already registered or just want to contribute, please do so with the following link. These donations go directly to MCC.

Finally, we are doing our first call for volunteers. These races are only possible through the efforts of others, so it’s time to give back if you can. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Laurie at laurie.thatcher@gmail.com. We will be posting a Volunteers List soon.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS UNIFIED SPORTS® TRIATHLONA Unique Special Olympics Summer Games Event
7:30 to Noon ● Wednesday, May 11 ● Montana State University

A special shout out to all Triton Special Olympics Ambassadors — thank you for volunteering! We ask that all Triton Ambassadors report to the MSU Fitness Center at 7:30 AM on Wednesday morning, May 11th. Be ready to go, to help register and support your designated Unified Sports Triathlon team. We should have a table adjacent to the Sports and Recreation office counter, located immediately north of the MSU Pool next to the treadmills. As a reminder, the Unified Sports Triathlon is a team event, and conducted as a “broken” triathlon. Each team has a member participating in one leg of the triathlon, and there are no transitions or handoffs. We will conduct the swim event, allow the swimmers to change their clothes and teams re-group, then walk over to the MSU track for the separate bike and run events. See you on race day, and thanks again for supporting the Special Olympics Unified Sports Triathlon!

BRIEF HISTORY
The Tritons started volunteering and partnering with Special Olympics in 2008. Entering our third year, the Club has served as the race director for the Bozeman-based Special Olympics State Summer Games Unified Sports Triathlon since 2009. Triton members host and produce this unique, “Made in Montana” event. As an official USA Triathlon Club, the Bozeman Tritons are passionate about the sport of triathlon, and excited to deliver our sport to all members of our community. Teaming up with Special Olympics on race day is super rewarding — for the triathletes, their unified partners, their coaches, and our volunteers. The growth in the Unified Sports Triathlon parallels the spectacular growth of our sport, and from its 1990s Montana roots, the event will now be a demonstration sport at the 2014 Special Olympics USA National Games.

WHY IS THE UNIFIED SPORTS® TRIATHLON SPECIAL?
The triathlon is virtually the only Special Olympics Unified Sports event at the 2011 Summer Games. Additionally, the event was founded right here in Montana, and will now serve as a demonstration sport at the 2014 Special Olympics USA National Games in Princeton, NJ. Team sports are about having fun, promoting physical health and bringing people together. Special Olympics Unified Sports teams do all of that – and shatter stereotypes about intellectual disability in the process. In communities around the world, Special Olympics athletes and their teammates without intellectual disabilities, their Unified Partners, practice and play together on Unified Sports teams. Unified Sports is a moving and exciting Special Olympics initiative for higher ability athletes of all ages. Mixed teams provide the public direct opportunities to experience first-hand the capabilities and courage of Special Olympics athletes. By having fun together, Unified Sports athletes and their unified partners improve their physical fitness, sharpen their skills, challenge the competition and help to overcome prejudices about intellectual disability.